


Hawkeye's Hero

by MiddleKeyFangirl



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Drug Use, Drunken Flirting, Drunkenness, F/F, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-01-03 09:57:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21177533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiddleKeyFangirl/pseuds/MiddleKeyFangirl
Summary: Kate was awful at flirting. So she fully intended to trick America into coming out with her. Luckily for her, America took the bait.





	Hawkeye's Hero

America swore she wasn't following Kate. They just 'happened' to end up at the same bar. Even if she had caught the name of the establishment while eavesdropping on Kate, she wouldn't admit it. 

She was thinking of leaving Kate to her own devices anyways. The girl seemed to be doing fine on her own.

But something didn't sit right. Something in America's head was swearing and kicking, restraining the girl to her darkly-lit corner booth up on the balcony. So instead of getting up and leaving, she grumbled and pulled the collar of her jacket closer to her head in an attempt to go unnoticed by Kate. She doubted Kate would see her though; it was her first time at a bar and she'd already done two shots, so she was probably the perfect level of fuzzy to not notice America.

America merely sat at the bar and sipped her water, admiring and worrying about Kate from a distance. Kate was beautiful. Her shining black hair, dazzling blue eyes and broad, charming smile turned America's head anytime she walked past. Her modest purple dress covered half of her arms and swayed just above her knees as she danced in her worn out sneakers. It was so tempting to join her. But America told herself she was no stalker-creep. Just a good friend.

But friends party together... right?

America rolled her eyes and took a sip from her water, head between her hands as she chewed on her straw. _This is stupid._ _But maybe it's not? Okay no it probably is. If I stay, she'll be fine, but if I leave something is bound to happen... that's just how things work._ She groaned and glared in Kate's direction.

Kate was dancing now, a smile on her lips as she relaxed and tried to follow the lead of the other dancers. Her movements were small, and it was almost like she was just swaying, listening to the music and enjoying it.

America sighed and turned back to her water, sticking her finger in and poking the ice cubes. 

When she turned around, Kate was talking to a man in his early twenties, smiling and narrating with her hands. America immediately did not like this man. Not only was he talking to Kate, he just had... vibes. And not the good kind. The bad kind. The wake up in an old motel naked and alone kind. _You're being stupid, America_.

Kate and the man walked over to a bar, where America could see the man holding up two fingers; ordering a shot for himself and Kate. America remembered her first time at a bar. She had downed seven shots and hadn't even gotten slurred, seemingly adding 'alcohol immunity' to her list of superpowers.

Kate was laughing and smiling with her shining, beautiful teeth. The man was nodding; also smiling, but for some reason unbeknownst to America, his smile seemed to be marked with nefarious intent. And although he couldn't see it, America was staring at him with narrow eyes, wishing deep down inside she had an undiscovered ability to shoot lasers from her eyes.

She took a deep breath and squeezed her glass tightly, small fractures appearing along the surface.

"Shit." She gently pushed the glass away, and watched as it slid away from her hands, water splashing precariously against the glass' lip. When she turned around, Kate was taking a shot of clear liquor, as the man watched her with his creepy smile. _I want to step in. Am I just overreacting? _She let her head hang in defeat and fixed her hair.

"Ma'am if you want this booth you're going to have to order something more than just a water." America looked at the college student working as a bartender.

"I'm leaving. Thanks," she placed a five dollar bill on the table and slid out from the booth, heading down the stairs to the exit. Looking over at Kate one last time, she sighed. Kate was fine. She exited the bar and leaned against the building, wondering what had gotten into her.

Little did she know Kate was wondering the same thing. Kate had gone through the trouble of dropping hints of where she was going that night. She had wanted America to be there, hoping they could drink and dance and maybe head back to her apartment. She was disappointed, not finding America anywhere in the elite bar. But she told herself it was a silly idea, and just to have fun and enjoy her first night out.

"Haven't seen you around here before," a young man had said to her. "You go to the college nearby?"

"No," Kate yelled over the blaring music. "I'm celebrating!"

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

"That's no fun," the young man frowned. "Let me buy you a drink. To celebrate."

"Oh no, that's alright!"

"No I insist! You gotta have some fun, right?"

Kate's gut told her to say no, but her disappointment overcame her logic. She smiled sheepishly. "Alright, fine. Surprise me." The young man winked and went to the bar. Kate tried to trail through the crowds behind him, spluttering a mess of 'excuse me's and 'sorry's. But she finally managed to get to the bar, where she found the young man gently nudged the shot glass towards her.

"Can you count me down, uh-" she tilted her head at him.

"Kevin. You?"

"Kate."

"Beautiful name," he smirked. Her stomach flipped, telling her something wasn't right here. Again, she ignored it.

"Thanks. Countdown from 3..."

"2..."

"One." They clinked their glasses and swallowed them in one, quick, hard swallow. Kate's eyes screwed shut at the burning sensation that followed, coughing lightly.

"First time drinking?" His smile was stunningly bright, his perfect teeth shining through his thin lips.

She shook her head. "I used to steal my dad's wine coolers. But I've never had this before," she said, holding up her empty shot glass. "Not sure I like it. Kinda makes my head spin."

"Do you want to sit down?" He asked, putting on a face that almost looked like genuine concern. She shook her head. She looked around for America again, getting nervous and bored. "Looking for someone?"

"Yeah," Kate cleared her throat, "I was hoping my friend would show up..."

"Did you invite her?" He asked. Kate detected a bit of nervousness in his voice, becoming increasingly suspicious.

"No I just kept talking about my plans, hoping she would come," she answered, blinking. "I'm going to go dance some more."

"I'll come with you." _Will he please just leave me the hell alone?_ Sighing and swearing under her breath, she marched back out to the dance floor. Wearing sneakers gave her an advantage, allowing her to jump and move around much more easier than she'd be able to in the heels her dad had gifted her for her twenty-first birthday.

Kate rubbed her eyes, suddenly heavy and exhausted.

"You okay?" Kevin asked. Kate blinked, rubbing her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

"I'm just beat," she waved it off.

"I'll walk you into a cab. Don't want to be too wasted to get out of bed tomorrow." Kate nodded, not understanding anything. "Alright, come on," he wrapped an arm around her waist, instantly making her jump. He led the two of them outside. Kate was so disoriented, and she had little to understanding of what was going on.

One minute, she was in the bar; the next, she was about to pass out in a car that belonged to some (in her opinion) predator's.

"Wait-" Kate mumbled.

"No we're good," Kevin smiled coyly.

"I said no," Kate persisted, struggling against her seatbelt. Oh yeah. She had definitely been drugged.

"It'll be fun!" He reached over, and just before his hand reached her chest, the front windshield of his car shattered and a fist grabbed him by the neck. Kate looked over wearily, squinting.

"Kate, you okay?"

"Are you an angel? D-did he kill me?" She was terrified now, shaking from head to toe and eyes struggling to stay focused. She was trying to stay awake, to figure out what was happening, but all she could see was shattered glass, the night sky and blaring lights that made her head hurt.

"Kate," the hero said, "close your eyes and I'll get you, okay. You can sleep, I'll make sure you're safe."

"Thanksss," Kate slurred, blinking deeply and slowly. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and scoop her up. When her head lolled to the side, she could see Kevin lying and screaming against the seat, taking shallow, irregular breaths. "Wha'd'you do to him?"

America looked over at him. She hated him. Even though she just met him, and would probably and hopefully (for both of their sakes) never see him again.

She was merely leaning against the brick building when they exited the bar. She was watching her breaths create whimsical clouds in the cold night's air. Her hands were shoved in her pockets and her head was looking up at the sky. She closed her eyes and merely listened to her surroundings. There was no cause for alarm until she heard Kate start to fight back. At that point, she had snapped up and come to Kate's rescue. Which left them there; on the curb, America holding Kate as the black-haired girl found herself trapped in a nightmarish, yet humorous daze.

"Broke his femur. Chance he might die from a ruptured artery. Chance I don't care," the girl said. Kate squinted. She reached a hand up and touched the girl's springy brown curls, snickering.

"So you were here," she giggled, biting her lip and leaning her head into America's shoulder.

"You wanted me here?" America asked, trying to hide her excitement.

"Of course, you dummy," Kate smiled weakly. She looked so tired, eyes fluttering open and closed and chest rising with her seemingly decreasing heart rate. "You're my best friend."

America's heart panged. _Friend_. Of course they were friends, America knew that. She wanted to be more than friends. More than best friends. She wanted to be close enough to her that she could feel her breath on her neck, and her fingers on her face. 

She shook the thought off. "Where do you want me to take you? The hospital?"

"No I'm fine," she said sleepily. "I just want sleep. I think it'll wear off in a few hours. I don't know. I know like... nothing about date rape drugs."

"So then maybe it is a good idea to take you to an emergency room," America sighed worriedly. Kate wrapped her arms around America's neck and pressed her face into her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Just fly me home."

"Alright," America agreed, hovering lightly over the pavement. "But you don't really look or seem fine, princess."

"I'm with you right? I'm fine. I'm good," her voice was getting quieter and harder to understand.

"You can sleep, Katie."

"Yeah m'kay."

Kate practically passed out instantly. America flew so slowly and gently as to not wake her before the drug wore off. The idea of taking her to the ER to get tested for what drug she had been given had repeatedly crossed her mind, but she trusted Kate. She just hoped the drug wasn't deadly. Or addictive. Or both.

America landed carefully on the fire escape outside of Kate's window. She looked around to make sure she was alone, before yanking open the window and climbing inside, Kate still held to her chest. She shuffled into the bedroom and tugged at the blankets. Placing Kate down, she paused for a moment, before sighing and getting in, pulling the sheets over the two. The realization that Kate was the owner of some fancy, expensive sheets made America smirk as she poked the girl's silk pillowcase.

The dark-haired girl was still out cold. America sighed, looking at her face thoughtfully. She wanted to hold Kate, run her hands through her hair, kiss her forehead tenderly. But she was scared to how Kate would react to waking up with no memory of the night before, the only clue being her closest friend holding her close to her chest, face inches away from America's.

Instead, America sighed and turned over, pulling out her phone. She dialed the other Hawkeye, and admired the warmth of Kate's blankets as the line rang.

"Hello?" Clint picked up, sounding exhausted, "'s Barton."

"Hey," America whispered, trying not to wake the sleeping girl right next to her. "It's Chavez."

"Why are you calling me at uhh..." She could practically see him squinting in the dark for the time. "One AM?"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. I just- Kate got drugged and I'm not really sure what to do..." America sighed, listening to the silent line. "I want to take her to the hospital but she's pretty adamant about not going. Or at least she was, before she passed out." She pulled the fleece blanket over her nose.

"Is she okay?" Clint asked after a long pause.

"She's asleep. She's breathing. And..." America reached two gentle fingers to Kate's neck. "Her heart rate is fine."

"She should be okay. It sounds like something she's seen before."

"What does that mean?" Clint went silent. America glared, even though he couldn't see her. "Clint, what the hell?"

"She's a great marksman and an awesome partner. Obviously superhero life has its perks, but it also has its downfalls. Many of which may include being drugged and kidnapped by a psychotic chick in a metal mask."

"That's oddly specific."

"Don't remind me," Clint shuddered. "But it's okay. We were always fine after. It sounds like a drug we've encountered before. How fast did it kick in?"

"Really fast," America muttered. "A few minutes, I'd think."

"Okay," Clint sighed. The springs of his bed creaked as he lied back down. "She should be fine. Just keep her safe, okay?"

"Yeah," America sighed, hanging up. She put her phone on the floor and rolled back to face Kate.

Kate's eyes were closed lightly, and her body was limp, not having moved since America placed her in the bed and pulled the blankets over her. She was just lying there on her back, head lolled to the side facing America. America wanted to touch her face, but instead of waking her, found herself content with gazing at each of Kate's features until she herself fell asleep.

The way her eyes would occasionally squeeze shut tighter, or how she'd let out a large exhale now and then captivated America. It was definitely something she could fall asleep to. So as she rested on the bed, watching Kate's face, her eyes grew tired and she slowly drifted to sleep.

_"You're my hero," Kate smiled, arms wrapped around America's shoulders. America couldn't help but grin, looking at the girl's lips._

_"We're both heroes here, chica," America snorted, brushing Kate's hair aside. It was soft like fleece, not like Lucky's fur, or America's own curls. Like a blanket fresh out of the wash._

_"Yeah, well you're my extra hero," Kate's eyes closed as her smile broadened. Dammit, she was cute._

_"I'm in love with you," America blurted. What the fuck? She would never, or at least, that's what she had thought._

_Kate's eyes opened and her smile faltered. She coughed once, then raised an eyebrow. Her arms pushed America away gently._

_"I'm not into-" she blushed, visibly uncomfortable. "I'm not gay."_

_Instead of her sarcastic, witty response that she wanted to use (one she had actually used before to mess with Kate), she looked at the ground below. Grass. They were standing outside atop a beautiful green hill. "I know." She admitted defeatedly. _

_Kate coughed again. "I'm sorry."_

_"No no no, don't be. It's my fault- I knew you weren't-" America cut herself off and sighed. Kate's blush faded. America looked back up at her._

_"I shouldn't have-" she winced a moment, coughing for a few seconds. She bent over, elbow over her mouth, trying to stifle them. After about thirty seconds of coughing, she started to gag._

_"Kate?" _

_The girl fell to her knees. The coughing promptly stopped. She pulled her elbow away from her mouth, blood spilling over her bottom lip. She looked at America._

_"It's fine," she assured America. But America still brought a hand to Kate's lip, wiping the blood off. _

_"Kate maybe we should go to the hospital." Déjà vu? America couldn't quite place it._

_"No it's okay," she held up her hand, pushing her away without touching her. Blood spurted from her mouth as she fell into another coughing fit. _

_"Kate!" America knelt down beside her. Her hand slammed down in to what appeared to be a puddle of blood on the ground. "K-Katie!"_

_Kate was gone. America remained alone, near the ever-growing blood puddle on the once bright-green grass. She slammed her fist down into the ground, splashing into the puddle._

Her eyes snapped awake and she felt herself jerk, shaking Kate's bed. She paused, took a second to make sure she was awake, and rolled over in the bed.

Kate wasn't in the bed. America's heart felt as if it had momentarily stopped. She sat up and looked around the room.

"Kate?" She called out into the darkness. No reply. She hesitated, calling her again. This time, she got a weak, shaking hand reach up from the edge of the bed, before flopping back down and hitting the hardwood floor with a painful whack.

America flung back the sheets and ran to the otherside of the bed. Kate was on the floor, coughing and gagging, sick.

"Katie-" America knelt down and picked up the girl by her shoulders, propping her up against the bed.

"I can't-" Kate scratched at her throat, struggling to speak and breathe.

"I'm calling 911," America said, pulling out her phone. Kate coughed and gagged, her eyes half-lidded. Dammit she was tired.

"America-" she tried to call, emitting a weak, needy call.

"Don't talk, save your breath," America snapped. But not in a mean way. In a way that said she was terrified for the girl, and needed her to get through this. 

"I love you," Kate tried to say, but all that came out was a painful 'you'. She struggled to take another breath, closing her eyes defeatedly. She could distantly hear America panicking, and she thought she had even dreamed America was crying.

But when she woke up in a hospital bed, she realized America was crying.

Her eyes slowly opened, her stomach turning and lungs aching as soon as she was awake. She let her eyes wander, but made sure they didn't move too quickly, as it made her head spin.

Once her sight was on her monitor, she felt herself relax. She was alive. Continuing to scan the room, she was quite surprised to see America resting at the foot of the bed, asleep and snoring. She was more surprised that she hadn't realized that before, but she didn't care.

Reading America was always hard. But here she was asleep, and her face had so many details that illustrated a story Kate had forgotten. It was almost inviting.

The first thing that stuck out to Kate were the tear stains just below America's eyes. They didn't extend very far down her face, merely stopping just above her nostrils. Kate sighed. She shouldn't have gone out alone. Or at all.

She wiggled her foot under the scratchy hospital sheets, trying to nudge America awake. Every movement was an effort, and after five minutes of poking and weak leg movements, Kate gave up. She looked around for her phone, picking it up once she spotted it, dialing for Clint.

"Katie?"

"Hi," she answered, smiling tiredly. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Like a sack of shit," she smirked, closing her eyes and nestling her head back into the pillow. "Do you know what happened?"

"Yeah," Clint coughed, stopping for a moment. She knew he was taking a long swig of coffee. "Well first you blacked out-"

"No shit, I remember that."

"Okay well America woke up and found you choking, hardly awake on the ground. She got worried and took you here. She wanted me to tell you that she knew you didn't want to go to the hospital, but she really didn't want you to die."

"She did the right thing. But what was it though? This whole thing?"

"Bad reaction to whatever that perv drugged you with."

"That's never happened before."

"Masque was always more tasteful with her drugs," Clint sighed.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "I'd take Masque over that douchebag anyday." She smiled tiredly, resting her head back on the pillow, hair tickling her face.

"How's America handling it?"

"Fine," Kate raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Don't tell her I told you," he hesitated, "because she might kill me. But she was hysterical when she called me last night."

Kate looked at her fingernails, noting the cracks in the black polish. She looked down to America, who was still sleeping. Her legs were warm where America was resting on them.

"Did she say anything?" Kate asked hopefully.

"Just that she really couldn't handle losing you," Clint said. She could hear the shrug in his voice. "That she wished she would've been there earlier."

Kate nodded. "Okay. I'll call you later."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone and let her arm relax on the bed, looking thoughtfully at America, who was sleeping like a rock. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and listened to America's quiet snoring.

When the snoring stopped ten minutes later, Kate's eyes slowly opened.

"Hey," she greeted, smiling at America. America gave her a cocky grin.

"Hey princess." The tear stains on her face were gone, meaning she must've wiped them off as soon as she woke up.

"I'm sorry I scared you like that," Kate sighed, closing her eyes again.

"I knew you would be okay."

"That's not what Clint said," Kate smirked. America's cheeks reddened.

"That purple-wearing asshole," she said through gritted teeth.

"Hey no," Kate laughed. "It's okay. I'd be upset if I were in your shoes."

The room got quiet for a moment.

"And what exactly would being in my shoes mean?" America asked. Kate sighed and chewed her knuckle.

"Like, if you were here and I was there..." Kate hesitated, avoiding eye contact. "And I thought maybe you were going to die, I'd be a wreck." America propped her chin up on her hand. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Kate met her eyes. "You're my world-" Her eyes widened and she facepalmed.

America laughed, hiding her small blush.

"Fuck- that was so over the top," Kate hissed, covering her eyes. "Dude-"

"No, no it's cute!" America giggled, grabbing Kate's hand. "You're my closest friend, you know?"

Kate looked at America deeply, like she was looking or waiting for something. "I want to..." She blushed and pulled her hand away from America, covering her face again.

"What?" America leaned forward. "Katie?"

Kate huffed and leaned forward, closing her eyes tight and pressing her lips to America's. America was taken aback, but ecstatic. She couldn't have hoped for a better outcome.

Her lips tasted like artificial strawberry, and America wondered when Kate had time to put on her expensive lip gloss. She smiled, pulling away.

Kate looked at her, extremely red. _Say something... please?_ She thought, eyes flickering across the room.

"So much for being the only straight member on the team," America joked, smirking. Kate shook her head and smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Dork."

"Princess."

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
